The Summer Garden
Tue, 15 Nov 2011
Now is the time to plan for long, hot days and adding more fertilizer to support the plants for the last part of the growing season. Most fertilizers will last only about sixty days before washing away so by now your soil needs that extra attention. Container gardens should be watered on a regular basis, especially in extreme heat or extreme dry conditions... And don't be afraid to spray over-heated plants with water to cool them off. The idea that water droplets burn leaves is just another myth.
Do you have a pest or disease problem? Keep a diary and draw a picture of the offender to remind yourself of how it looks...Write down what it attacked and how you controlled it. Write any unusual weather...Sometimes, you can track a disease problem using clues from the weather.
Dead head any spent blooms to keep the flowers coming on your perennial plants – the plant uses energy on spent flowers instead of growing new ones.
If you have been pinching and using your herbs & vegetables, the plants are putting all their energy into forming more stems and leaves so they also need that extra food that a little fertilizer will offer. You can increase your herb & vegetable production right when the plants seem to need the extra boost. We recommend an organic fertilizer like organic extra or organic booster! Importantly, write down how much herbs and vegetables you are harvesting!
ARMP#1077